Patna: Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar on Saturday termed the judgment given by a local court in Gopalganj's Khajurbani locality hooch tragedy case as a lesson for the people involved in the sale and consumption of illicit liquor in the state.
After attending a programme on Saturday, the Chief Minister while talking to the media said he welcomed the decision pronounced by the court in the Gopalganj liquor tragedy case.
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He said during 2016 when total prohibition was implemented in Bihar, a large number of people had died due to the consumption of illicit liquor in the Gopalganj district. A case was registered after a thorough investigation.
The court's decision would serve as a lesson for such people and those who commit such wrong deeds would be deterred from indulging in liquor sale and consumption, Nitish added.
The Chief Minister said, "I do not benefit personally from the prohibition of liquor in the state, it has been implemented for the benefit of the people. This decision has been implemented on the demand of women in Bihar. There is a lot of trouble in houses where people consume liquor. Even today, news of poisonous liquor is being reported from some places in the state. Such cases are being investigated."
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In the Excise Special Court, Gopalganj Additional District and Sessions Judge, Lav Kush Kumar, on Friday convicted 13 persons in the Khajurbani liquor tragedy in Gopalganj, of which nine accused were awarded the death sentence while four women were sentenced to life imprisonment.
Nineteen persons died and six lost their eyesight after consuming illicit liquor in August 2016. In this case, an FIR was lodged in the Gopalganj city police station.
IANS
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